Joshua Redden ’11 is professional songwriter, vocalist, and music and video producer. The founder of the Los Angeles-based Trent Park Productions, Redden has developed custom music production and visual content and directed event performances for iconic brands, including the Grammy Awards, NFL, Amazon and Armani. He has made his mark in Hollywood as a music consultant and producer, most recently contributing to a Focus Features project featuring Ice Cube, Dakota Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross and Diplo. 

He is also a proud �������� graduate.

Redden earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the College, where he also minored in philosophy and education and was a member of the �������� Student Programming Board. Looking back, he says that he was especially drawn to ��������’s intimate setting and to the opportunity to build connections with others and with the material he was studying. 

He also  discovered how that the lessons he learned in the classroom could be applied in the real world, with each of his professors introducing a new way of thinking, equipping him with a versatile set of tools that he now utilizes in the ever-evolving entertainment industry. 

“The lesson I hold closest is that words carry immense power,” he says. “The choices we make—word by word, in structure, in delivery, and in setting—shape how meaning is received. The more deeply you understand your craft of communication, the more clearly you can express yourself – and, in turn, truly understand others.”

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When McKenzie Ponto ’26 arrived at �������� after transferring to The Heights, she was looking for a way to feel more connected to campus.

She started thinking about something fun. Something simple. Something that could bring people together.

Then inspiration struck:

Why not start a cheese club?

It may sound unexpected, but for McKenzie, cheese has always been part of her story. As a middle school student visiting Vermont with her family, she insisted on stopping at Cabot Creamery to learn how cheese is made, a request that surprised even her parents.

Years later, that lifelong curiosity became the foundation for one of our newest student organizations.

Today, the Cheese Club welcomes dozens of students to meetings where members sample cheeses, learn how they’re made, discover perfect pairings, and, of course, enjoy plenty of conversation. The club regularly attracts 45–60 students and was named New Club of the Year at the 2025 Dolphins’ Choice Awards.

But the club is about more than cheese.

For McKenzie, creating the organization was a way to build community, develop leadership skills, and help other students find connections across campus.

She was right.

Whether you’re interested in starting your own organization or joining one of the many already on campus, �������� makes it easy to turn an idea into a community.

And yes members have learned that an appreciation for sharp cheddar pairs surprisingly well with friendship, creativity, and more than a few cheesy puns.

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The grant, to be used from 2026 to 2028, is in support of a project titled “Purposeful Advising: The Manresa Difference,” directed by Steven Affeldt and RJ Rapoza, co-directors of ��������’s Manresa Program. Through this project, a team of �������� faculty and staff will work to design and pilot a comprehensive advising model that integrates vocational discernment across the institution. Supplementing traditional course scheduling, “Purposeful Advising” will help advisors engage students in structured conversations about purpose, belonging, community contribution, and calling. Following assessment and refinement, the model will be scaled for institution-wide implementation to produce advising templates, training materials, and assessment instruments.

In this round of funding, NetVUE awarded $2.75 million to the 30 institutions, in support of deepening, expanding or otherwise strengthening programs that support students as they explore and discern their many callings in life. Supported by the Lilly Endowment Inc., this is the 13^th year NetVUE grants have been awarded, bringing the total to 280 program development grants awarded to member institutions.

“Warm congratulations to the recipients of our latest cohort of NetVUE Program Development grants! The application pool was exceptionally competitive, and on behalf of the evaluation committee and the staff of CIC and NetVUE, I extend sincere gratitude to all who applied,” said Carter Aikin, NetVUE grants director. “To those awarded funding, we look forward with anticipation to the launch of your projects and the contributions they will make.”

“We are immensely grateful to NetVUE for their continued support of our Manresa Program,” said Affeldt, an associate professor of philosophy. “Thanks to NetVUE funding – and with the help of many members of the �������� community – we have been able to create a program that is gaining increasing national recognition as a model for other institutions to emulate.”

The other four grant received by �������� were:

Professional Development Grant (2024 to 2025) – $12,000 for a one-week intensive program for staff and faculty members who have already participated in NetVUE-supported vocation programming on campus. Drawing on their experience in developing, implementing, and facilitating specific vocational discernment projects, participants worked collaboratively to develop a set of four customizable “vocational scaffolds” for integrating vocational discernment and exploration into courses, course modules and both formal and informal student advising sessions.

Vocation Across the Academy Grants (2020 to 2023) – $50,000 to develop the Vocational Companions program which provide 12 faculty and staff per year with intensive exposure to the work of vocational discernment, with a focus on how this work can help students integrate their instrumental interest in preparing for a career with a broader understanding of themselves and their purposes. Through this program each participant developed, implemented, and assessed a concrete vocational discernment project that supports students’ vocational discernment and career readiness. The Vocational Companions is now a continuing element of the Manresa Program and has, to date, engaged more than 60 unique faculty, staff administrator and coaches.

Professional Development Grant (2017 to 2018) – $10,000 to continue work developing the Manresa Program, which connects vocational discernment and career preparation to the critical understanding, values, and purpose fostered by a Jesuit liberal arts education. Through this grant, a team faculty and staff were able to participate in a year-long series of workshops to develop the initial versions of the junior and senior year Manresa Seminars.

Program Development Grants (2015 to 2017) – $50,000 to develop a comprehensive Program in Personal and Professional Development: Integrated Learning, Meaning, Calling and Career (subsequently renamed the Manresa Program). Working in alignment with the development of ��������’s Sempre Avanti Strategic Plan, this grant brought together faculty members, career services and campus ministry staff to explore ideas of vocational discernment as a means of integrating the via active and via contempletiva in order to live meaningful lives and meaningful work. The team developed the initial vision of a series of four undergraduate seminars, one for each year a student is at ��������, that begin in the first two years with examining oneself and one’s deepest purposes and values and that move in the second two years toward professional development, career readiness and developing a vision of life of “meaningful success.”

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If you’ve been wondering whether you’re asking the “right” questions, don’t worry. Chances are, someone else is wondering the exact same thing.

We asked First Year Class Dean Allison Farrell to share the answers to some of the questions we hear most often from new Dolphins.

If we didn’t cover what’s on your mind, just ask us. Remember, while college is about exploring your new independence, you’ll always have a community ready to help you on The Heights!

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During the private audience, the Pontiff addressed the group in a talk that focused on the Society of Jesus’ four Universal Apostolic Preferences and the important role Jesuit higher education plays in achieving its goals. “With the help of the prayers of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, may you continue the Jesuit tradition of forming those entrusted to your care to be ‘men and women for others,’ ” said Pope Leo. “I gladly impart my Apostolic Blessing to each of you, which I willingly extend to your loved ones and to the communities of the institutions that you represent.”

The with the presidents under the headline “Universities are powerful channels to promote solidarity and common good.” An overview of the trip is also found on the .

During the meeting, Pope Leo greeted each president individually.

The President’s Pilgrimage was led by AJCU President Michelle Murray, who wrote to the group prior to departure, “During our days in Assisi, we will have time for spiritual reflection and renewal. As we prepare for our time together, I am struck by these words that V. Rev. Arturo Sosa, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, shared in his address to the International Association of Jesuit Universities in Bogotá last summer: ‘To sustain an open university offering integral formation in the midst of great difficulties demands openness to innovation, to seeking and finding alternative ways to fulfill the university’s social function, to maintaining active engagement with different sectors of the society in which the university carries out its mission.’ “

The entourage had several other items on their itinerary during the three-day trip, including meetings with:

• Mario Grech, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops and Sister Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops
• Archbishop Carlo Maria Polvani, secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education
• Brother Michael Schopf, S.J., international director of Jesuit Refugee Service
• Joseph Christie, S.J., secretary for higher education of the Society of Jesus and chair of the board of directors of International Association of Jesuit Universities.

They also toured the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and the Capitoline Museum.

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The coursework culminated in a 12-day immersive expedition, from May 26 to June 9, during which students lived in hostels and traveled across the country to collect their research data. Along the way, they searched for puffin colonies, explored Reykjavík, and experienced Iceland’s striking landscapes up close, turning a semester of study into hands-on scientific discovery. Accompanying them on the trip were Professor Hilary McManus, who taught the course, and Professor Jason Lusicer.

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Initially on a four-year reclassification track after transitioning to the Division I level on July 1, 2023, �������� accelerated the process by one year following updated NCAA legislation passed in January 2025. Under the new guidelines adopted by the Division I Council, reclassifying institutions can now complete the reclassification process in three years, provided they meet updated academic, financial and operational benchmarks. �������� notified the NCAA in July 2025 of its intent to accelerate its transition to full membership in the NCAA Division I.

“I’m extremely proud of everyone who contributed to our three-year journey to fully attain DI status,” said President Linda LeMura. “This was an effort that involved many constituencies, including student-athletes, coaches, faculty, staff and trustees. Through their contributions and hard work, we are now poised to compete at the highest level of collegiate athletics and I am so excited for the future success of �������� Athletics.”

“Achieving full NCAA Division I membership is a monumental milestone for �������� College and it is officially time to celebrate the incredible dedication to the reclassification process of our student-athletes, coaches and the entire Dolphin community,” said Assistant Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation Phil Brown. “We are filled with immense gratitude for our leadership, faculty, alumni and fans whose unwavering support over the last three years made this transition possible. This moment is a testament to our rich athletic tradition and a thrilling launchpad for our future on the national stage.”

�������� successfully satisfied all additional requirements of the accelerated reclassification process. Academically, institutions must be above the 10th percentile of DI members in the Academic Progress Rate (APR), graduation success rate, or the difference between the federal graduation rates for student-athletes and for the general student body. Reclassifying schools also must meet new financial aid requirements, such as a scholarship offering that exceeds the 10th percentile of active DI members, participate in an NCAA compliance review, an academic review, satisfy all DI core guarantees and attestation requirements and complete an NCAA self-study program.

During its first three years as a member of the NEC and competing at the DI level, the Dolphins have made a total of 50 postseason appearances, including 18 during the 2025-26 academic year. Five programs have posted postseason victories, including women’s basketball each year, while the swimming and diving and indoor and outdoor track and field programs have combined for 28 individual medals, including 17 this past year. The men’s and women’s lacrosse programs have claimed a share of the NEC regular season title and the top seed in the NEC Championship in 2025 and 2026, respectively. Academically, the department has extended its streak of consecutive semesters with an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher to 46 and turned in a 3.393 GPA for the 2024-25 academic year.

Six institutions (five from DII and one from DIII) completed the accelerated transition process in its first year in 2025, while �������� is the only institution in the nation in its transition “class.”

��������’s first matchup of the 2026-27 season as an official full member of NCAA DI athletics is women’s soccer at Canisius University on Thursday, Aug. 13, while the first regular-season home contest is women’s soccer against Iona University on Sunday, Aug. 16.

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If you’re heading to college and thinking, “What if I pick the wrong major?”, you’re not alone.

Some students arrive unsure.
Others arrive with a plan.

But here’s the truth: both paths can (and may) change.

Before coming to ��������, Legende McGrath ‘26 told the �������� Way podcast he didn’t have everything figured out.

Like many students, he had ideas but no clear, final answer.

“I wasn’t set on anything.”

And that uncertainty followed him into college.

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The research is meant to address a major gap in urban ecology by examining how biodiversity patterns vary among cities with different environmental and social contexts. Through large-scale comparative studies of urban bird communities across Cork, Bristol and Bruges, Luscier seeks to identify the factors that shape urban biodiversity and improve the scientific foundation for conservation planning. This work will help ensure that urban management strategies are based on evidence that is relevant to the unique characteristics of individual cities. in Burges talking about his experience.

“The Georg Professorship has provided the time and resources to expand my internationally recognized research on urban biodiversity, advance global bird conservation efforts and enhance the visibility of both my scholarship and ��������,” he said. “It will also enrich my teaching by bringing current biodiversity science and conservation challenges directly into the classroom.”

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